The Sealing
by UltraElectroMagnetic
Summary: The year is 1884. Humanity has declared war on the surviving Youkai, who have no place in the new world. No place, save one. This is the story of the sealing of Gensokyo. (Warning: Many OCs)
1. Prologue

**The Sealing  
**_Diego Magallona_

Prologue

October 31, 1884, Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office Headquarters, Tokyo.

"Colonel Fukazawa," one of the Imperial Guards called. Colonel Saito Fukazawa stood up from his bench in the park outside the headquarters, and walked toward the door to General Yamagata's building. Yamagata was one of the founders of the Imperial Japanese Army, and he was the current Chief of the Army General Staff.

The white headquarters was surrounded by grass parks with pathways where Imperial Guards made their rounds. There were many officers in and around the office as usual.

Saito, followed by a young officer, followed the Imperial Guard into the headquarters, where they removed their hats, and sat in another waiting bench. Saito was thirty-four years old. He had black hair and brown eyes, a clean-shaved upper lip and a small beard on his chin. The younger, brown-haired officer reached into his bag and brought out a book to read. Saito was just looking around the large room, thinking.

* * *

As far as records were concerned, Colonel Saito and his organization were non-existent, and so was the Shogunate-controlled counterpart that Saito's organization was based upon. Saito was the leader of the Seisei-bumon, the Imperial Military's 'purification division,' whose objectives are to cleanse Japan of its Youkai, supernatural beings, whether they are ghosts, beasts, demons, or the like. Saito is the commander of this division, though to call it a division is lunacy, as the Seisei-bumon were only fifty men, 12 officers and the rest enlisted men, not even enough to be called a company.

Saito was a veteran of the Boshin War and the Satsuma Rebellion. In the Boshin War, he served as a junior officer fighting for the Imperial Forces to overthrow the Shogunate. It was during the Fall of Edo where he discovered the only records of the Tokugawa Shogunate's Youkai Extermination Squads; hundreds, and sometimes thousands of soldiers were deployed to hunt Youkai all over the Japanese islands.

He was only a lieutenant of eighteen years then. Saito thought it was all madness; a power-trip of a shogunate that had ruled for too long and gone insane. Saigo Takamori, the general who led the Imperial forces that captured Edo, the city that was renamed Tokyo soon afterwards, thought otherwise when he was presented with the documents. Takamori established the Seisei-bumon afterwards, with himself as the commander, to finish the work that the Shogunate started. Saito, however, would not be a part of the secret organization until after the Satsuma rebellion.

During this rebellion, Takamori rose up against the Imperial Forces. When Takamori was defeated and committed suicide, General Yamagata offered twenty-seven year old Saito a promotion to Colonel and command of the Seisei-bumon. To be part of the Seisei-bumon, a soldier must voluntarily accept an offer to join, as to be part of the Seisei-bumon is to be erased from existence; from the moment you are accepted, your life will be dedicated to Youkai extermination, until death of all Youkai, or yourself, not something to be taken lightly.

By the time Saito assumed command, however, the Seisei-bumon was a shadow of its former self, and perhaps an embarrassment to the Shogunate organization it was based upon. By the 19th century, Youkai rarely ever threatened the domain of humans. Humans were becoming more and more dangerous, and by Saito's time, even strange sightings were rare.

But Saito had something that would explain all of that. The Youkai were still alive, still numerous, and still dangerous. Saito just didn't know where to look, until now.

* * *

The Imperial Guard called Saito again, so he stood up and fixed his uniform. The young officer was still sitting down, reading his book. He looked so absorbed by it, and Saito couldn't just nudge him out of it.

"Lieutenant Morichika," Saito called to him, spurring the young man up to his feet.

"Yes, sir, sorry sir," he replied, putting the book back into the bag.

"General Yamagata has many things to do. We mustn't keep him waiting," Saito told the lieutenant.

The Guardsman led the two up the stairs and through the hallway to the office of General Yamagata. The Imperial Guardsman opened the door to let Colonel Saito and Lieutenant Morichika inside.

General Yamagata was seated on his desk. Saito deduced that by the look of his desk, he had cleared it to make room, knowing Saito would bring various maps and documents like he always did.

"Ahh, Colonel Saito Fukuzawa," the general addressed, "and who is your subordinate?"

"Lieutenant Hayato Morichika, general, sir," the lieutenant replied before bowing.

"Good to meet you, Lieutenant Morichika. Please, sit, the both of you," the general offered. Saito and Hayato both sat down opposite each other, across Yamagata's table.

"I believe you already know why we are here, general," Saito started.

"Of course," replied Yamagata, "You need soldiers for an action against Youkai. It's been a while since your last request, Saito, but since the success of that last raid, I'll gladly supply you with some soldiers."

"Thank you, general," said Saito, "We will need two infantry regiments; three, if you are able, plus some cavalry, and five batteries of artillery as well."

"Two regiments?!" Yamagata coughed, seeming a little angry, "You've never asked for that many before, Saito, and as of late, the Youkai numbers have been diminishing. What threat could possibly convince me to derail two entire regiments and their horse and artillery batteries from their stations? That's over 4000 men, Saito."

"I'm sorry, general. I should have informed you of the threat more. I was hoping to save time by saving you from the details. Lieutenant, bring out the maps please."

"Hmph," Yamagata said, "for a moment I was hoping that this was a sick joke. I could have forgiven you then, but now that I know you're serious, what is the threat?"

* * *

"Youkai appearances and attacks have been dwindling over the centuries, especially so these past few decades." Saito paused a moment.

"This is because Youkai were originally substantiated by the superstitious beliefs and fears of ancient humans, something that is rare in the world today. Youkai are very powerful, without a doubt, but as of late, all the new world has taught us has caused superstition to fade away. Without fear to fuel them, they have less incentive to attack. With our technological advancement and new weapons, we have become as much a threat to them as they are to us."

"Youkai have no more place in our new world, and they have been slipping away."

Yamagata touched his moustache, "To where?" he asked.

"Good question, general. They aren't slipping out of existence; they are slipping away to a hiding place. All of them are massing in one place, and that's what makes it so dangerous."

Hayato spread on the desk a map Honshu, the main island of Japan. The entirety of the Yatsugatake mountain range was encircled in red.

"You may not believe this, general, but I will say it anyway," Saito continued, "That area encircled is not what we think it is. Do you know the legend of Mount Yatsugatake?"

Yamagata nodded and answered, "Yes. Mount Yatsugatake was once taller than Mount Fuji, but Konohana-Sakuyahime, goddess of Mount Fuji, was jealous of Yatsugatake, so she struck it down, creating the range of smaller mountains we call the Yatsugatake Mountains."

"Correct, general," Saito told him, "but that isn't true at all. The Yatsugatake Mountains are not really there. Mount Yatsugatake still stands."

"What do you mean?"

"The Shogunate's Youkai Extermination forces had their own record of the place. Sometime before the Boshin War, while sweeping the area around the mountains for Youkai, they stumbled upon a village called Mayoiga. It was thought at first that the soldiers were having hallucinations of the mountains changing shapes and sizes, but it was then discovered that Mayoiga was directly on a magical field dome. When they delved deeper, they found that the entire Yatsugatake range was an illusion, and when you walked through the veil, you could see the true area:

"Instead of a mountain range, it was a valley; only the mountains on the edges were real. The Shogunate soldiers describe the area having wide grass fields and some hills in the area directly beyond Mayoiga. Beyond that were large forests, and in the middle, dominating the valley was Mount Yatsugatake itself."

"So, the Youkai were hiding there?" said General Yamagata, "Why didn't the Shogunate annihilate them?"

* * *

Saito shook his head, "They were assembling a force large enough to deal with all the Youkai inside, but then the Battle of Toba-Fushimi happened, and all armed forces of the Shogunate were set to battling us Imperials instead."

"And it is that easy to enter the valley?"

"Entering the valley is the easy part. Before that, however, we have to find Mayoiga, the only known entrance. I'm certain some people in Nagano or Yamanashi would know it. I intend to go there in advance with some of the Seisei-bumon and find the village, and then move into the valley with all our forces and destroy the Youkai inside."

"How many Youkai are you expecting, Colonel?" Yamagata asked.

"The Shogunate's records say that it is possible that large numbers of Oni, Tengu, and Kappa are living in, around, and on the mountain, and that they are a united civilization. Other than that, more feral Youkai, estimated to be in the thousands, are all around the valley. The organized and more advanced Youkai living on the mountain will be the greatest threat. Youkai are not without technology and magic to fight with, especially the more intelligent forms. I am confident in our ability to systematically destroy the other Youkai around the mountain with relative ease."

"Are there humans in that valley?"

"Most likely, and they will probably help us."

"And you expect me to believe all of this?"

"I know you do, general. You saw the Oni we killed several years ago, and don't forget the blasted Nue that killed two of your guards before we put it down. And who could forget the Funa-yurei that almost sunk my ship? The Satori we executed? You know they're real, general.

After looking over the maps and talking about plans for battle for another few minutes, Yamagata said to the two, "I'm afraid it would be too difficult to keep this operation clandestine, Saito. Two whole regiments moving to that area during peacetime? It's too suspicious. I can't do it."

"General, please. These are most likely the last Youkai in existence. If we could just—"

"No, Saito. If the Youkai are running and hiding from us, then we have already won. Let them rot there for the rest of eternity. This operation is too big a risk to the army and the government. It's impossible to hide or cover up the troop movements and potential casualties. I'll admit, that's quite close to the capital, but it isn't worth the risk."

Saito put his head down for a moment. How could Yamagata decline him now, after believing in him for the past few years?

* * *

Just then, a knock was heard at the door.

"Come in," Yamagata said. An Imperial Guard Officer walked into the room and saluted the general before walking over to the desk. Hayato rolled the map to cover it from the officer's eyes. After giving the letter, the officer quickly exited the room.

"What is it, general?" Saito asked as he opened and read the letter.

"The gods seem to believe in your mission, Colonel Saito," Yamagata told him as he shook his head.

"General, sir?" Saito asked again.

"There's a massive peasant uprising. There are thousands of them, and they have guns, swords, and other weapons. They're making short work of the police forces in that area. I'll need to send army troops into the area soon."

Now Saito knew what the general meant earlier. He smiled, and asked, "Where is this 'area,' exactly, general?"

"Chichibu, in the Saitama Prefecture."

Saito managed a short laugh. "There's your cover-up, general. Chichibu is very close to the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains. Naturally, as we destroy the uprising, they'll be pushed to the foot of the mountains, where we can begin our search."

"Alright, then," Yamagata told the two, "I approve of your operation, and giving you full command of two regiments, and additionally, all their horse, and their artillery batteries for it."

"Thank you, general. We will not fail you," Saito told him as he and Hayato stood up.

"Before you go," the general said to them, "I must remind you that before you go searching for that entrance, your priority is to destroy this rebellion. The army puts threats to the sovereignty before hunting down demons."

"Of course, General Yamagata; you know me well enough. I've never failed Japan before, and I don't intend to fail it now."

"This valley, Saito," the general said to him, "does it have a name?"

Saito turned to Hayato, and said, "It has one, but it seems to have slipped from my tongue."

Hayato took out a notebook from his bag, and started flipping pages, until he came across a page somewhere in the middle. He looked at the general and said, "It's here."

"What's it called?"

"Gensokyo."


	2. Mayoiga

Mayoiga

November 1, 1884, the mountain village of Mayoiga.

Of the many passages into Gensokyo, the ancient Mayohiga pass, now called Mayoiga in modern language, was the easiest passage into Gensokyo, and the only passage available to humans. That did not make the pass any less treacherous, however. The pass was a winding mountain road that led travellers from the edges of the Chichibu area at the foot of the mountains, up and around the steep mountains, eventually descending into the Gensokyo valley.

The village itself lay at a plateau somewhere in the middle of the mountain pass, and the mountain road passed through the village. Mayoiga was in a dominating position overlooking large portions of both the road going to Chichibu and the road going to Gensokyo. It was easily defensible from either side.

Keine Kamishirasawa woke up to the cold winter morning air, the sound of mountain birds singing outside, and the shouts of children playing in the snow. The lodging of the tavern wasn't that bad for an isolated mountain village. She was able to keep warm and have a good night's sleep; that's what mattered.

Keine combed her hair; she had silver hair with blue highlights, and brown eyes. She appeared young enough; she looked around twenty years old, but Keine was certain she was several years older than that. She washed her face and put on a casual blue European-styled dress, and wore a wool coat over it for the cold.

* * *

She left her room and had a small breakfast before leaving the tavern. The roofs of the village buildings were all white with snow, and much of the ground was blanketed in it; only the mountain road was swept clean. Around her, villagers were mostly attending to their own daily activities. She spotted the village elder outside his home, talking to two strange men in long coats. One of the men looked middle-aged, had a samurai ponytail in his black hair, and a sheathed katana; the other was younger and had short brown hair, with an old rifle slung over his shoulder.

Keine could hear their conversation.

"Last word is that the Imperial Army is moving two regiments from the Tokyo area to crush the revolution," the older man said to the elder.

The elder was surprised by his report, and replied, "Do you have enough weapons to fight two army regiments? How will you combat their artillery?"

The younger man spoke up, "We will use ambushes and lure them into traps. We know the land better than they do."

Keine started walking to the three.

"We have more swordsmen than they do. If they get too close, we can cut them down! Saigo Takamori's Samurai killed many Imperial soldiers at Shiroyama before they were killed." said the older man to the elder.

* * *

Keine was close now, and she interrupted,

"The Imperial Army has improved greatly since Shiroyama, I can assure you that: new guns, and close-quarters training among other things. What's all this about?"

"Ahh, Keine," the elder greeted her, "good of you to come to Mayoiga. I trust you had a good night's rest after your trek from Gensokyo?"

"Better than I expected, actually," replied Keine, "I haven't been needed here for a while. What's the urgency?"

"Has word reached you of the uprising in Chichibu?" asked the elder.

"There's an uprising? Who is rising?"

"The peasants, Keine; the common people are rising up against the Imperials," answered the elder.

"And Mayoiga is threatened by the uprising?"

The younger man, with the rifle, turned to Keine and said,

"The Imperial Army is marching on Chichibu, and doubtless some of us will want a refuge to fall back to."

"You make a good choice for a fall back point," Keine said to the man, "Mayoiga is difficult to find and easy to defend, but whether you are allowed to occupy it for your revolution is not up to me."

Keine looked at the young man's rifle, and asked,

"What model is that rifle?"

He unslung his rifle and showed it to her, saying,

"This is a Snider-Enfield. It's breech-loaded, and it shoots a .577 inch bullet, and I've been practicing with it. I can fire six rounds in a minute. Those Imperial soldiers better watch out."

"The Imperial soldiers have new Murata rifles and they can fire their rifles ten or more times in a minute. Are you a good shot?"

"I like to think so."

"Well, I hope you think right. Now, about the village…"

* * *

"Your elder has already agreed to join in our struggle. But we need your help, Miss Keine."

"My help?" Keine asked.

"Yes," replied the other man with the katana, "We know where the mountain road leads after passing through Mayoiga, and we have heard of your abilities. We ask for your assistance in the coming revolution."

"They know about your role in Gensokyo's human village," the elder told Keine, "and they want your support in the uprising."

"History eating?" she asked, "What will you use my abilities for?"

"To hide refuges from the Imperials, to orchestrate ambushes, to create dissent in their ranks, and to lead them into traps; with your abilities, all of that is possible with little effort."

"Little effort on your part, perhaps, but what I do requires much focus and effort. The Imperial Japanese Army is a force to be reckoned with, even now. I can only be at one place at one point in time. The Imperial Army has thousands of soldiers. If you want my counsel instead, I can offer you some: stand down, scatter, and hide. There is no way you can win this."

"Have you no faith in the revolution? Do you not believe that the rest of Japan's people will rise with us?!"

"I'm just being critical, friend," she replied, "all I see is an isolated rebellion that will soon be crushed by better armed, better trained, and more numerous soldiers of the military. I pray the Imperial Forces never find Mayoiga, for your sake. Good morning to you, friends."

Keine began to walk away when the revolutionary with the sword called out to her,

"You mockingly call us friend as you walk away and leave us to our doom!"

She turned around and nodded her head, smiling.

"You do not know everything about what lies beyond the Mayoiga pass. I am sworn to defend Gensokyo's human village. I am sworn to defend my fellow humans. I call you 'friend' because in my eyes, all humans are friends, as opposed to other things."

* * *

Keine turned again and walked back to the tavern. She ordered tea from the tavern-keeper, and when she got it, she took a small sip and started thinking. A peasant revolution in Chichibu? And how did these revolutionaries convince the elder to join their cause. Was he threatened by the revolutionaries? Does he hate the Imperial forces? What's in it for Mayoiga?

Keine took a longer sip of her tea. She was pondering on the possibilities. The best case scenario was that when the rebels were defeated, they would just surrender and not fall back to Mayoiga. The worst case was that the Imperial forces push all the way to Mayoiga and burn it to the ground. The thought scared her, and what scared her even more was another question looming in her head:

What would happen if the Army becomes curious and sends a force down the Gensokyo road? What would they do when they find Gensokyo? Once the valley of Gensokyo comes into view, it looks nothing like the image of the Yatsugatake mountain range that it presents on the other side of the pass.

What would happen to the human village there, and how would they react to the… other things in the valley?

Keine stopped asking herself these questions, and remembered she had to focus on the present. She finished her tea and picked up her bags as she left the tavern. Mayoiga was becoming even busier. Men were scrambling here and there bringing wood and other materials around. Some were even carrying guns, bows and arrows, swords, and spears.

* * *

The village elder was standing by the edge of Mayoiga, leaning on a stone wall that protected villagers from falling down the mountainside. From there, he viewed the Chichibu side of the mountain road. Keine stood beside him and examined the road; it was mostly open, and any army would have a difficult time ascending to reach the village with arrows and gun-fire pelted the road from where she was standing.

"I do hope they will not come here," the elder said, "I do not want war, but I want to help these suffering lowland farmers."

"The Imperial Army will crush this rebellion," Keine replied, "and since you are allied with them, they may flee here en masse. You know that if they do, they Imperials will easily be able to follow them and find the village."

The elder shook his head and said to Keine, "If it comes to that, the rebels will give the Imperials a beating; this pass is impenetrable while Mayoiga is used to the defenders advantage."

"The last time Mayoiga needed to defend itself, it was facing men armed with swords, spears, and arrows. It was impregnable. Now, Mayoiga's enemies will have rifles and cannons. The boy earlier was holding an old rifle from the Boshin War. If that's how the rest of the rebels are armed, though I'm assuming they're armed with worse, they don't stand a chance."

"We'll be able to use the higher ground to negate the advantages of the Imperial troops."

"They have cannons. You don't. They have new bolt-action rifles. I doubt the revolutionaries will even be able to get out of hiding to fire back."

"And yet they fight nonetheless, Keine."

"They will die, nonetheless I suppose. I wish you the best, then. You're the village elder; you know what 's best for your village."

"We will be safe, Keine. The village will hold."

"I hope it does. I'd best return to Gensokyo."

"Safe journeys to you, Keine; I'm sorry for dragging you up to Mayoiga. I should have known your duty to the human village was paramount."

"That's quite alright. Goodbye."

* * *

Keine walked away from the wall and back into the village. Kids were playing, throwing snow at each other, while women gossiped, some men worked, while others were preparing for a battle. A number of these men were going down the Chichibu road, led by the older revolutionary. Most of them will probably never go up the road again.

Keine was walking in the opposite direction of these men. Her path was the Gensokyo road, which led to her village.

"Wait! Miss!" called a child's voice.

Keine looked to the source of the voice to see two young boys running to her.

"We heard what they were talking about!" said one.

"I heard them talk about a war!" said the other.

"I heard you say something about beyond the pass! What's beyond the pass?" he continued.

"Scary things," Keine replied.

A young man's voice came from behind Keine, asking, "Like what scary things?"

Keine turned to find the young revolutionary with the rifle behind her, smiling.

"Why do you care?" Keine replied, "Don't you have a revolution to worry about?"

"Hey, don't mind what the old man said; he's got a samurai spirit, that's all."

"He should throw away that samurai spirit," Keine advised, "The Satsuma Samurai who rebelled in Kagoshima had plenty of 'samurai spirit'. They faced a few thousand Imperial rifles, and they quickly became samurai spirits."

"I'll remind him. But c'mon, tell me, what's in 'Gensokyo?'"

"Alright, I'll tell you," Keine said to him, "What's your name?"

"Kou. Kou Suzuki."

"Do you like scary stories, Kou?"

"I do!" answered one of the boys.

"I'm sure you do, little one. What about you, Kou?"

"I haven't listened to those kinds of stories since I was a kid. My mother used to scare me with tales of Oni stealing me in the night, Kappa pulling me into the river, or Tengu blowing me away with the wind; silly things about youkai, but everybody knows they don't exist."

"Let me tell you the scariest tale of them all, Kou," Keine said to him, "The one where you realize that youkai do exist."

* * *

Keine saw Kou fixated on Keine at those words, as if the way she had said it had awoken some fear he had not felt since his mother had told him stories about youkai.

She continued, "I cannot help this village, nor can I help any other village, because in Gensokyo there is this one little village. It has no name, but we call it the human village. Do you know why we call it the human village?"

"Why?" Kou asked.

"Because there are many villages in Gensokyo and my little village is the only one that is occupied by humans."

"What does that mean?"

Keine smiled and shook her head.

"It means that in the other villages, you won't find humans. You'll find Oni, and Kappa, and Tengu. But they are the least of my problems, Kou. Oni, Kappa, and Tengu can talk. You can reason with them if you're smart enough. You can convince them not to terrorize the village. In Gensokyo, however, there are more foul and feral youkai that prey on human flesh."

"So, you defend your village from the youkai…"

"Yes. I use my abilities to make it as if the village never existed. You don't believe me, anyway; why bother asking?"

"I do believe you," Kou replied.

"A minute ago, you said that youkai do not exist. While hypocrisy is sometimes welcomed when what you were believing in beforehand was false, the rate at which you change your beliefs tells much about yourself. Don't lie to me, Kou. You don't believe yet."

"I'd like to see for myself. Maybe after the rebellion, I'll take the Gensokyo road and pay a visit?"

"I advise against that. It's a dangerous life in Gensokyo. You're fighting other men. In Gensokyo, we fight nightmares."

"Why do people still live there, then?" Kou asked her.

Keine gave him a light laugh and a smile. She answered,

"So the Oni won't steal you at night, and the Kappa won't pull you into the river, and the Tengu won't blow you away with the wind."


	3. Wolves and Crows

Wolves and Crows

November 1, 1884, Upper Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo.

"Aya! Aya!" shouted Momiji excitedly, calling for her friend. Momiji Inubashiri was a female Wolf Tengu serving the Tengu's defence forces.

She, like all Wolf Tengu, was mostly human-like in appearance, the only differences being their pointed wolf ears and wolf their wolf tails. Momiji had short white hair, white ears, and reddish eyes. She was wearing her traditional Tengu garb, similar to a kimono, though Wolf Tengu almost always wore the simpler variant made for men, with an opening to let their tails out, regardless of gender, as the Wolf Tengu were proud, practical, and more focused on war. On the side of her head was strapped an Oni mask. She also wore winter gloves and trousers, as well as thick socks under her sandals.

Attached to Momiji's belt were two swords: a katana, a long, slender, cutting sword, that could be used either one-handed or two-handed, and a wakizashi, a shorter, one-handed blade similar to the Katana. But Wolf Tengu, like the Samurai, often carry larger weapons as well. Momiji's weapon of choice was an even larger and wider two-handed odachi sword.

Momiji was at her watch post near one of the Tengu villages on Youkai Mountain. The Tengu built their towns close to the top of the mountain; the Kappa built theirs near the bottom and under the mountain, while the Oni lived where they pleased.

* * *

"Ayaaaa!" she called again to the snowy wind.

An instant after that, Aya zipped from a long way afar and appeared in the air in front of Momiji. Aya was taller and slimmer than Momiji. Aya Shameimaru was a Crow Tengu, and was more human in appearance than Momiji. Aya did not have a tail or different ears, but she did have large black feathered wings. All Crow Tengu have wings, enabling them to fly faster than the other Tengu.

Aya had short black hair, though hers was longer than Momiji's, and Aya also had red eyes. Instead of traditional garbs, Aya wore a white, collared, buttoned, and short-sleeved blouse with maple leaf patterns under a thin winter coat, a black skirt, black stockings, and long, black winter gloves that reached all the way to her elbows. Her footwear was a pair of red Tengu-geta sandals with their iconic long 'tooth' platform. She also had a camera bag slung over her shoulder.

"Aya! You're here!" Momiji exclaimed. The two Tengu embraced.

"Momi!" Aya replied, "Nice to see you today. Look at you, all in uniform. When did you get it?"

"I got it two days ago when I graduated from training!" answered Momiji, "I've never liked the Oni masks, though."

"Well, as long as we serve the Oni King, we wear the Oni masks instead of the Tengu masks. So, why'd you call me?"

"I wanted to ask if you've read the new about the village filled with humans that suddenly appeared in the valley grasslands."

"Momiji, I was the one that wrote that article."

"Oh," she said, "I thought you only wrote gossip about other Youkai…"

"That hurts, Momiji," Aya told her, "but I'm still a Crow Tengu under the Information Corps. It's my duty to get stories like these when they show themselves."

"So," Momiji asked, "What's in the human village? Aside from humans, of course."

"Well, nothing overly interesting. Lord Tenma says the village has been there for a long time, but apparently, they can hide themselves to keep safe from Youkai."

"I see," answered Momiji, "Why would they reveal themselves now?"

Aya started laughing, "Hell if I know. The villagers were all scared when I flew past, and I saw that most of them prepared weapons. If I had to guess, they revealed themselves by accident."

"Well, this was your biggest story yet. Everyone's talking about it. Most of us haven't seen humans for a long time."

"I don't think it's that big of a deal," Aya said, "humans are still humans: dull and boring. I like the attention I'm getting, though."

Momiji told her, "Some 'sages' are saying that the appearance of the human village is a sign that times are changing for us."

"Times have already changed a lot, Momiji. The Tengu were many, and we used to be free and we used to be able to fly around everywhere. We'd cause trouble and have parties and fight humans. We used to live on many mountains, but now, the Tengu only live on one mountain, and to live on that mountain, the Tengu had to serve the Oni, or what's left of the Oni."

"Oh, I know our history, Aya. I wish we could be free again."

"All Tengu wish that, but the Oni are the most powerful on the mountain, and if we want to share the mountain, we have to serve them, just like the Kappa have to serve them as well. And it's because of the humans, Momiji. I don't hate them, but I hate what they've done to us."

* * *

Years past, the great Tengu clans lived in many mountains across Japan, but the death of superstition and the increased human advancement and expansion led to numerous wars between Tengu and human, all of which the Tengu lost.

All the great Tengu lords were gone; all except Tenma, who leads the last Tengu clan in existence. They forsook their old clan name, and they referred to themselves only as the Tengu, as they were all that was left of their race.

"Come to think of it," Aya said to Momiji, "Things may start to get interesting. I'm pretty sure Youkai attacks on humans will have an increase, now that there are humans. With that comes an increased interest in Youkai-hunting among humans. Yes, it should get a little interesting around here, unless the village decides to disappear again…"

Right at that moment, the two were greeted by the whistling of a male wolf Tengu trudging through the snow, also in his winter uniform. His hair, eyes, ears, and tail were all brown. On his cheek, there was a large scar. He also had a katana and wakizashi on his belt, but he had an arrow quiver hanging on his side, and an ovular tinbe shield on his back. In his left arm he carried his yumi, a Japanese longbow, while he swung his right arm freely as he walked.

He was Hikaru no Yajirushi, one of the elder Wolf Tengu watchmen, over 2000 years old, and the finest archer in Youkai mountain.

"Good morning, Hikaru," Momiji greeted, "It's your shift already, sir?"

"Ahh, not yet, Momiji, but I like the watch. I think you and Shameimaru have better things to do than stand here to watch the sky. I think I'll start my shift a little early. You two better be off now."

"Thank you, Hikaru, sir," Aya told him politely, though the Wolves had no authority over the Crows and vice-versa. The Crows and the Wolves operated very differently, and acted very differently, but when it comes to it, they are still Tengu all the same; different means to achieve the same end: the survival of the Tengu and the protection of Youkai Mountain.

"Should we walk?" Aya asked Momiji, "Or should we fly?"

Hikaru turned to answer, "I hear some sages saying that the Wolves may lose their ability to fly soon enough. The Crows can't fly as fast as they used to, and I'm hearing that the Oni are becoming weaker."

Aya frowned, "Tengu losing their flight? That's a grim thought, though come to think of it, I am not as fast as I used to be…"

"You're over a thousand years old, Aya; maybe you're just getting old," Momiji jested.

"We don't age that way, Momi," Aya replied, "It just could be the winter."

"Fine," Momiji said, "Let's fly back, then. If it's true, what the sages say, I'd best enjoy it while I can."

Momiji took a breath, and jumped high into the air as she exhaled, slowly stopping herself in mid-air. Aya was also up beside her in an instant.

"Don't worry, Momi," Aya assured, holding Momiji's shoulder, "If you lose your flight on the way, I'll catch you. I promise."

Momiji blushed lightly; Aya was being too overprotective, she thought. She didn't really believe that, right?

"You worry too much," Momiji said to her.

"Do I? I just care for my friends; that's all. Just 'cause I'm a Crow doesn't mean I can't be honest."

* * *

Momiji flew slowly around the mountain, with Aya matching her speed. The Wolves were not as agile or quick as the Crows in flight, but it was better than not being able to fly at all. Most Youkai could fly, or at least, at some point many years ago, most of them could. The Oni were said to be able to shape-shift and float on clouds high above the air, but Momiji had never seen any Oni do these things.

The two rose to fly to the top of the mountain, where they stopped to hover for a moment, and took in the magnificent view of Youkai Mountain and Gensokyo.

Gensokyo was a land of many colours; each season, different colours dominated Gensokyo: In the spring, it was green, with the trees growing their leaves and the grass popping out of the snow. In the summer, it was blue for the refreshing waters and the clear skies. In autumn, it was orange of the weltering leaves and of the harvest, and in winter, it was the white of the snow.

To the west of the mountain, where they were facing, was the mysterious and treacherous Bamboo Forest of the Lost. Very few Youkai and Human alike dare venture into the maze of fast-growing Bamboo shoots, lest they risk being lost there forever, which is how the forest got its name.

To the north was the Misty Lake, which had an empty island in the middle. In the summer, much of the water evaporates, and forms a land bridge to the island, and in the cold winter and spring, mists frequently shroud the lake, giving the lake its name. Several rivers from the mountain flowed to this lake.

To the east lay the Human Village, and around it the flat grass plains of Gensokyo. Much of the land around the village had been converted to farmland. Further east, one could follow the road from the Human Village out of Gensokyo and into the Mayoiga pass.

To the south loomed the Forest of Magic, a large forest abundant in magical plants and Youkai, feral and intelligent alike.

A path leading southeast from the Human Village went toward a shrine at the foot of the mountains around the valley, the only shrine in Gensokyo: the Hakurei Shrine they called it.

* * *

Of course, dominating Gensokyo's centre was the mountain itself, Yatsugatake-Yama of legend, taller than Mount Fuji, and much wider, also brimming with much more life than Fuji-san. All around the base of Youkai Mountain were rivers, and brooks, and waterfalls, which snaked all across the various rock formations and ravines that were formed when Yatsugatake was still volcanically active. These are normally surrounded by lush forest that became less dense further up the mountain. It was winter now, however, and all of Gensokyo was blanketed in snow.

"Beautiful," Momiji whispered with her eyes in awe, despite seeing it countless times before.

Aya smiled and replied,

"The Gods, the Oni, the Humans, Tenma, or whoever it was that led us to this last refuge… they couldn't have picked a better spot. It is beautiful."

After a few more minutes of flight, they caught sight of their village. It was not the greatest, the richest, or the largest of the Tengu settlements atop the Youkai Mountain, but to Aya and Momiji, it was home. Momiji was raised here as a young Tengu, and Aya settled in this town when Tenma first led the Tengu to Youkai Mountain.

Most of the structures were hanging off the edge of the mountain, though others were firmly planted in the mountain. In between these two types of structures was a narrow road. It didn't have to be wide, as the mountain itself was steep, and Tengu rarely have need for roads. The roads were still large enough for an Oni, however, as they would be the ones expected to use them more often. Kappa rarely ever climbed this high up the mountain, but the Oni went where they pleased.

Several electric posts with their wires ran through the town; the Tengu and the Kappa of Youkai Mountain often collaborated with each other to make advances in science and technology. In truth, much of the technology on Youkai Mountain comes from the Kappa, while the Tengu trade with the Kappa often. The Kappa invents, and the Tengu applies.

The Kappa created cameras, typewriters, and printing presses, among other things, but it is the Tengu that use them mostly.

* * *

Aya and Momiji landed in front of Aya's home and headquarters for her newspaper, the _Bunbunmaru_.

On Aya's door, however, a woman of short stature, short, blue hair tied in twin pony-tails with red hair-bobbles, wearing a blue winter-coat, thick gloves and boots, and a large aquamarine backpack waited, knocking at her door. She was a Kappa.

"Nitori," whispered Aya to the girl, who had not noticed Aya and Momiji landing without a sound.

"Aaah!" Nitori shrieked, causing Aya and Momiji to burst into laughter. Momiji turned around to show her blue eyes and cute face. Nitori Kawashiro was a young Kappa engineer and a good friend to Aya and Momiji.

"You're so cute, Nitori," Aya teased.

"You guys!" Nitori blurted out angrily, her face reddening as she tried to think of a comeback, "I…"

"What is it?" Momiji asked.

"I missed you guys so much!" Nitori finally managed, no longer able to hold her excitement. She jumped at the two Tengu and hugged them tight.

"We missed you two Nitori," Aya laughed.

Nitori let go and looked at the two of them with a big grin on her face. "How long's it been?" she asked.

"Ten years, I think," replied Aya, "not too long."

"You guys never visit me in Genbu, that's why I miss you so much!" Nitori complained. Nitori belonged to a Kappa community in the marshes of Genbu ravine, somewhere near the base of Youkai Mountain and close to the Forest of Magic.

"It isn't fair," Nitori continued, "you two can fly. You should be the ones coming down to where I live."

"We've been busy," Aya answered.

Nitori grunted, "I've been busy too. Today's my free day, and I spent half of it climbing this mountain, explaining to Oni along the way that today's my day off and I wasn't going to do anything for them, and asking the Tengu around here where you guys were."

"Well," Momiji told Nitori, "Aya has her newspaper and duties to the Information Corps, and I've been doing my rounds and drills ever since I got into the Mountain's Wolf Defence Force. Besides, if we want to go to your house, we'd have to breathe underwater to get there."

"It's only a fifteen minute swim in the underwater river to get to my village! Jeez," Nitori exclaimed.

"Except no Tengu can hold their breath underwater for that long," Aya retorted, "maybe except Tenma; I've seen him out-drink an Oni, which I formerly thought was impossible ."

Nitori, annoyed, told her, "What I'm trying to say is that it's so much easier for you to fly down then for me to climb up."

"Oh, whatever," Aya finally conceded, walking past Nitori and unlocking the door to her house, "come inside; let's have a drink… actually, let's have lunch. It's almost midday."

* * *

The three friends chatted for a while and had lunch as morning turned to midday. Nitori unstrapped the large bag from her back and reached into one of the bag's compartments.

"I made something for you, Aya," Nitori said, with a smile on her face, "this is going to revolutionize the industry!"

"Which industry?" asked Aya.

"The information-gathering industry, the journalism industry, and the photography industry, among others, and I want you to test out my prototype!" Nitori answered giddily as she pulled out a strange-looking camera from the bag.

"I call it the insta-photo!" Nitori announced proudly as she handed it over to Aya, "When you press the button to take a picture, the photo will be printed instantly and come out of the slot right here!"

Aya looked at the camera with amazement before turning to Nitori to say, "That sounds really cool! I wouldn't have to wait for photos to develop anymore!"

Aya pointed the camera at Momiji, who was still eating her lunch. Nitori stepped into the camera's field of view and puffed up her cheeks to make a funny face. Aya took the picture and the camera made a clicking sound as Momiji realized what was going on.

The photo came out of the camera a second after it was taken.

"You two look ridiculous," Aya giggled as she looked at the monochrome photo.

Nitori came over to Aya's side and looked at the photo. "After a few experiments," she started, "I can have it print photos in full colour. I also have a flash device here that you can attach to the camera."

"That's great!" Aya replied, "You really outdid yourself with this one, Nitori."

"When the insta-photo is fully developed and commercialized," Nitori continued, "I'll start working on a way to print photos on paper so we can have newspapers with photos on them! Can you imagine being the only newspaper on the mountain with actual photos in it? The days of artists tracing or copying the images onto the papers will be over! News will be spread faster and more efficiently!"

"I can imagine," Aya replied, "you're a genius Nitori. Thanks for letting me test this out; with the news of the human village appearing out of nowhere, I'll sure be sent to gather information on it."

"You can keep the prototype, Aya," Nitori insisted, "and about the village: I may be going to that human village to negotiate trade between them and the mountain."

"What goods could the Oni possibly be interested in from the village?" Momiji asked.

* * *

"Not the Oni," Nitori replied, "though I'd say some of them would come down there to pick fights and have drinking contests, it's the Kappa that are most interested. The humans are always making interesting advancements in science in technology, and the Kappa are always interested in new developments we can use to improve our own."

"Some crazy Youkai are saying that the village is a bad omen; that it's a sign that the end of the Youkai is in near," Momiji remarked, "Aya says that it's all farce or fear-mongering. What do you think, Nitori?"

Nitori scratched her head before she answered, "Momiji, you know I am a woman of science, and I don't believe any of these things have bearing. I see it as an opportunity. Humans are obsessed with self-preservation; if we offer our hand in friendship, they'll gladly take it and everyone will benefit. Otherwise, the humans will be facing hostilities from the combined might of the Oni, Tengu, and Kappa of Youkai Mountain, and this tiny village cannot hope to hold its own against us. The humans would need thousands of well-armed, well-trained soldiers to have any chance of defeating us."

Momiji nodded in approval just as someone began knocking at the door.

* * *

Aya stood up and walked towards the door, "Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Shin," muttered an inconspicuous male voice.

Aya opened the door to be greeted by a tall, lean Crow Tengu, with pale skin, black hair and black eyes. He was wearing a dark winter trench coat over his uniform: a buttoned black shirt tucked in black slacks and black boots. He also wore black fingerless gloves, and had a dark brown belt with a tanto dagger attached to it.

"What brings you here?" asked Aya.

"Tenma's orders brought me here, Aya. My apologies for interrupting lunch with your friends," he said.

"It's no problem," she replied, "Momiji, Nitori; this is Shin Kakusa, my uh… boss."

Shin smiled, "Good day to the two of you. There's good reason for me coming on such short notice, Aya. There's an issue regarding the security of Gensokyo's existence, and Tenma believes that this human village could be involved."

"How so?" Aya inquired.

"That's why I need to talk to you," Shin answered, "We need to find out."

"How are we going to do that?"

"Come with me, Aya. There's much to discuss."


	4. The Chichibu Incident

The Chichibu Incident

November 3, 1884. Yorii, Osata District, Saitama Prefecture, Honshu, Empire of Japan.

A battalion of soldiers from the 3rd infantry regiment, 2nd infantry brigade, of the Imperial Japanese Army's 1st Division, also known as the Tokyo Garrison, had set up and garrisoned a base of operations in the town of Yorii, in the Osata District, north of Chichibu.

It was late into the afternoon when Colonel Saito Fukuzawa and Lieutenant Hayato Morichika followed the battalion into the town, which was being transformed into a makeshift military base that could be easily defended from across the Arakawa, the Ara River, should the rebels that call themselves the _komminto_, be so bold as to attempt an attack. The Imperial troops and their officers all wore their dark-blue uniforms as they marched into town, as if they had already won.

The two rode into the town on horses, followed by an additional infantry company to bolster the garrison at Yorii. The town lay on the north side of the Arakawa. It was winter, but no snow had fallen on the region as of yet.

* * *

"Colonel Fukuzawa," sternly addressed an Imperial Army officer to Colonel Saito as he entered the main office in the town hall, which they had turned into their command centre.

"I am Major Harada, Colonel," the officer introduced himself, before gesturing to the younger officer at his side, "and this is 2nd lieutenant Kumamoto. My men are at your command, Colonel."

"Right," Saito replied, going over to the table where a map of the Saitama prefecture lay before them, "The rebels will be hard pressed to cross the Arakawa, but we have made certain that all the crossings close to Yorii are watched."

The major then asked, "The River does not have to be an obstacle for them, because the river turns. It doesn't cut them off; what if they decide to go around instead? Or move south to attempt to march to Tokyo?"

Saito nodded, and answered, "By tomorrow, a company from the 3rd battalion will be stationed at Kodama town, north of Chichibu, and the north and northeast will be sealed to the rebels, forcing them to make a drive south or southeast, where the other battalions of the regiment will be ready to repel them while we drive into Chichibu and the other towns from here."

"So we will wait for them to attack?" the Major asked.

"We're hoping for it," Saito answered, "but if they don't lose patience or surrender soon enough, we will launch a pincer attack from North and South, surrounding the towns around Chichibu, crushing resistance, and eventually forcing them west, to the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains where they will be caught between the army and the mountains."

Major Harada nodded in approval. "It's a very good plan. If the komminto put up a good fight, we might even have a chance to bring in troops with the new Murata rifles and test them out on the rebels."

"Our sources say that the komminto have anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 armed fighters," Saito told the major, "They outnumber us at the moment, even with the metropolitan police fighting with us. Do you know anything about their arms and training?"

The major nodded, "Yes, indeed, Colonel. The komminto's 'army' consists of three 'battalions.' The amount of fighters per battalion is not known to us, but most of their army consist of poor farmers and common workers, with the occasional grumbling veteran or ex-samurai in the ranks. Most of them will be poorly trained, if trained at all, but their leaders have shown some organization in the ranks, separating their gunners, swordsmen, and spearmen."

"How many guns do they have?"

"Little, in comparison to their arsenal of bamboo spears, which most of the rebels will be armed with. Their firearms are obsolete: mostly hunting muskets and some breech-loaders from the Boshin War. We have Chassepot, Mauser, and Murata rifles, and I'm certain our troops will excel against the rebels in close-quarters combat. In addition, they don't have filed artillery or cavalry; we have both. The komminto won't stand a chance."

The Colonel stood up, smiling, "Very good, Major Harada. I was hoping to go out and see the Chichibu countryside before the sun set?"

"You can, sir," the major answered, "the rebels move their forces at night, mostly, and as of latest reports, most of their strength seems to be focused around the town of Omiya, southeast of Chichibu, and quite far from here. They have some cunning, though, no matter how low it may be. These silk-farmers know the land better than we do, but with caution, discipline and superior firepower, we will smash this rebellion with minimal casualties to our troops."

"I hope so, major," replied Saito, "I'm not interested in seeing another Shiroyama."

"I guarantee you, Colonel, this rebellion will not end like that bloodbath."

"You're wrong about one thing, major," Saito laughed, "we have better training and better guns now, true, but we're fighting poor mobs of witless farmers; doesn't the scenario just scream, 'bloodbath,' to you?"

"Well, if they run—"

"They'll be ridden down or shot in the back."

The major was no longer smiling. He asked, "And if any surrender?"

"They will be summarily executed, except the officers and the ringleaders. The officers will be questioned before they are executed. The ringleaders will be brought to trial, and then executed."

"Understood, sir," solemnly said the major, bowing his head as Colonel Saito exited the room with Lieutenant Hayato.

* * *

The two left the headquarters of the battalion to survey the area across the Ara River. At the town of Yorii, there were two bridges that spanned the Arakawa: there was the large east bridge, and a second makeshift west bridge created by the Army troops. The rebels would be fools to attack here. They'd have to funnel their forces through one or both of the bridges, where Major Harada had placed a Gatling gun and a sentry of twenty riflemen at each.

Saito spotted a lieutenant walking from the east bridge.

"Lieutenant," he called, "Yes, you."

"Sir?" the lieutenant replied.

"What are our defences across the river? How many men are stationed there?"

"The rest of the town is directly across the east bridge, where we have at least fifty men," he answered, "And we have a forward command and observation post in the ruins of Hachigata castle, with around thirty rifles as garrison."

"What about the west bridge?" Saito asked.

"The observation post at Hachigata overlooks the approach to the bridge, and we have two sentries on the far side. It's mostly open ground; not defensible, so we thought it best to let them attempt to cross the bridge, where we can gun them down."

"Very good, Lieutenant; is it safe for me to inspect the defences across the bridge?"

"The sun will set soon, sir. We wouldn't want to risk anyone getting caught in a night attack."

"Well then, I'd best get started. Hayato," called Saito.

"Yes, Colonel," he answered immediately.

"Get us some horses. We'll ride across the east bridge and take a look at the Hachigata ruins before checking out the west bridge and crossing in back to the main town."

"Yes, sir; right away, sir," Hayato dutifully replied.

* * *

Hayato returned a short wait later with their coats, and two horses: for Saito, he brought a large, black stallion, and for himself a light-brown gelding. Saito preferred stallions, as they were generally larger and stronger, though harder to control.

The two mounted up and rode across the east bridge, escorted by five other mounted guards. Hayato and two of the guards bore Spencer lever-action repeating carbines, while Saito and the other three carried revolvers in their holsters. Each had either a katana or a Western-styled cavalry sabre in his scabbard. Saito had a katana, and Hayato used a sabre.

Across the bridge, Saito and Hayato rode through the other half of the town, questioning soldiers on what they were to do should the rebels attack the town. Saito was impressed. Everyone followed their patrol routs and watches so that all sides of the town were watched. In the event of a rebel attack, the soldiers would fall back to designated defence points, paramount among these the ruins of Hachigata castle, which overlooked both bridges. Major Harada had done well.

The group stopped at the castle ruins to inspect its garrison. The castle had been torn down during the reign of the Tokugawa shogunate; only the earthworks remain where walls, towers, and keeps once stood. The soldiers placed tents, sandbag fortifications, and watchtowers all around the ruins. The castle may have been gone for several hundred years, but the position was still a formidable obstacle. There were thirty soldiers garrisoned here, and during an attack, most of the soldiers on the south side of the Arakawa would fall back here.

"Who is in command here," Saito called out to the castle's garrison. An older-looking sergeant major presented himself to Saito and saluted.

"Colonel," he addressed.

"How prepared are your men for an attack?" Saito asked.

"We've gone over our defensive procedures a hundred times, Colonel," the sergeant assured, "my men know how to shoot, and how to fight with their bayonets. We are well prepared, sir."

"Very good, sergeant; as you were."

* * *

The view the castle provided was wonderful, but Saito realized that the sun would set soon. He had to get back before sundown. Saito's group exited the castle the way they came in, and were met by a young sergeant leading a squad of ten riflemen on a patrol.

"Where are you taking these men, sergeant?" asked Saito.

"Colonel, sir," the sergeant called, "I'm leading these men through the dirt roads in these woods to the west bridge. It's the shortest route to the west bridge."

"Come with us, then," Saito urged, "The sun is setting and we'll be safer as one group. Lead the way, sergeant."

"This way, sir," the sergeant pointed, "Toyomi! Homura! With me! The rest of you, fall in behind the Colonel!"

The sergeant and two of his men led the way, followed by two of Saito's guards, and then by Saito and Hayato. The other eight riflemen formed two lines and marched behind them, flanked by two other horse guards. At the back of the column, the remaining horse guard followed, ready to turn and ride the opposite direction to call for help if necessary.

"Colonel," Hayato called, "Is this a good idea? We could ride out to the road and get there faster."

"We're better protected as a group, and the road goes south before it turns back to Yorii. If there's a chance to meet rebels, it's on that road."

"Very well, but I don't like marching through forests, even ones as mild as this one. Forests are great places to be ambushed."

* * *

Lieutenant Hayato Moricihika surveyed the forest around the dirt road they were marching on. The sun had begun to set and turned the sky into a faint orange. The trees around them were either dead of leaves or had orange and yellow leaves. The soil was littered with dead leaves, and the woods were silent It sent an eerie chill down Hayato's spine.

"Sergeant," Hayato called. He had to break this unnerving silence.

The young man turned his head as he continued walking. "Yes, sir?" he asked.

"How many times have you gone through this road?"

"About twice since we got here, sir."

Hayato thought he heard laves crunching in the distance, and then noticed Private Homura, one of the soldiers beside the sergeant, step on a tiny branch along the path, making a crackling sound as his boot smashed the branch. Hayato paid no mind to the first sound.

"Do you have your men fix their bayonets often?"

"We really only give the order before battle, sir; but I think I know what you mean. The forest at this type of hour can get you a little nervous."

"You read my mind, sergeant."

"It's a skill that comes naturally as a sergeant, sir," he bragged, "You've got to learn how to read your men's faces and words."

"I understand completely," Hayato replied. He felt a little less uneasy now. He turned to see Colonel Saito's head was turned to one side of the woods, as if looking for something. He wasn't paying attention to the conversation.

* * *

And then they heard it.

Gunshots, far off in the distance; Saito was still scanning the side of the woods. Hayato turned to see where the shots came from, but he knew they were far away. It was probably another patrol or a sentry. There would soon be a loud flare fired from Hachigata to notify the entire garrison of Yorii that shots had been fired.

"Well," the sergeant said, "I think we can agree it's best we double time it. Men, fix bayonets. I don't want to be caught unprepared in an amb—"

The bullet went right through the sergeant's throat, blood spurting from the exit wound, as they heard the sounds of the gunfire, and several more bullets landed around them. By the time they realized what was happening, the sergeant had fallen to the ground, lifeless and bloody, along with Private Homura. The horse guard in front of Hayato was hit while Hayato unloaded all the bullets loaded in his repeating rifle, and the guard fell from his horse, dead. All the while, the other horse guards were aiming their rifles at the rebels in the woods as the footmen turned to face the rebels.

"Ambush!" Saito shouted as rebels came down on them from the left side of the road, shouting curses and battle cries. The rider-less horse in front of Hayato ran forward and rode down Private Toyomi as he aimed his rifle at the rebels.

Some of the Imperial soldiers returned fire at the rebels, while the others struggled to fix their bayonets onto their rifles. The Imperial soldiers were equipped with intimidating sword-bayonets that could be used as short swords without the rifles, or turn their rifles into deadly glaives. As the rebels ran out of the woods, more shots were fired, this time from the Imperial troops. The rebels were wearing farmer's clothes for the most part; some had bandanas or armbands. One of them was wearing a long coat and bore a Samurai braid. A few rebels fell to the return-fire of the Imperials.

"Aaah!" cried one of the rebels as he charged into the Imperial soldiers, thrusting his bamboo spear into his gut. Several more rebels joined the brutal melee, with bamboo spears, naginata polearms, or katanas. The imperial troops fought back fiercely with their bayonets and the butts of their rifles.

The rebels with guns stayed back, reloading their muskets. Saito, drawing his revolver, was pulled of his horse by a rebel, and Hayato drew his sabre and spurred his horse forward to aid his Colonel. Saito fired his revolver into the rebel's skull as the rebel tried to stab him with a sword. Saito quickly got up and drew his katana to join the fight.

Another rebel braced his bamboo spear and drove it into Hayato's horse. Hayato's horse fell to the ground head first, and Hayato slammed onto the ground, front-face. Still conscious, he turned on his back and saw the rebel draw a knife and run toward him. The rebel attempted to stab Hayato, but he caught the rebel's arm with his left hand as he reached for his sabre with the other. The rebel took his other hand and put it on the dagger hilt to push harder. The dagger had almost reached Hayato's chest when he took grip of his sabre and plunged it into the neck of the rebel, causing the rebel to spit blood onto Hayato's face. Blood spurted from the rebel's neck as Hayato pulled the sword out.

Hayato was hyperventilating. He pushed the dead rebel off him, only to see another rebel coming at him with a spear. He was helpless, lying there. The rebel would simply impale poor Hayato with the spear, but as the rebel stepped over the dead horse, his face met the butt of an imperial rifle, causing the rebel to stagger and fall on his back. The soldier took his bayoneted rifle and plunged it into the rebel's chest.

There was more gunfire, but Hayato was able to note that the gun sounds were the sweet sound of new Imperial Murata rifles. He'd noticed when the ambush started that the rebels fired older, breech loading rifles, from the sounds.

The Imperial soldiers shouted. Hayato was relieved; they had won.

* * *

Saito came to him and offered his hand. Hayato took it and got up. He rose to see only three of the Imperial Army riflemen and two of his horse guards still standing. Another Army soldier lay dying on the edge of the road. The two horse guards were subduing the rebel with the Samurai braid. The rest were dead. They lost three of their five horses. Around them lay the bodies of thirteen rebels. Surely there were a couple more dead rebels lying in the woods, the ones that were shot as they charged.

"That man looked like an officer," Saito said to Hayato, gesturing at the ex-Samurai, "He almost fought like one too; he must be a Boshin War veteran."

Saito went on about how the two fought in a duel that lasted all of two seconds. Saito disarmed the ex-Samurai and said he was to be questioned. Saito stopped talking a moment when he noticed Hayato staring at the corpse of the man he had killed with his sabre.

"Your first?" Saito asked. Hayato nodded. "Are you afraid? It's over."

"I… I lost my breath…" Hayato said, "But I'm fine."

"You're scared, Hayato. I can smell fear. You're in the Seisei-bumon, Lieutenant. You are sworn to fight the Youkai scourge. The Youkai feed off fear. You must learn to throw away fear, or the Youkai will consume you."

"I'm not afraid of Youkai," Hayato told him.

"Of course you aren't," Saito replied, "How can you be?"

Hayato had a confused look on his face, but Saito continued,

"You've never seen one, you've never fought one, you've never heard their war cries, you've never seen your friends killed and ripped apart by them, Hayato."

Hayato was trembling now. He wasn't sure if it was because of Saito or the thought of Youkai ripping him apart.

"What happened?" Hayato blurted out.

"What?" Saito replied.

"The Youkai, " Hayato said, "what have they done to you… your friends… what…"

"Not now," Saito interrupted, "There'll be a time for stories. We have to get back to Yorii."

* * *

Saito turned to the ex-Samurai and threatened him to move. The Samurai followed. They strapped him onto one of the horses. He told Hayato to get on one of the Horses. Luckily for them, one of the footmen knew how to ride a horse, and Saito directed him to lead them out of the path and back to Yorii. The two horses left Saito and the three remaining men as fast as they could. Saito quickly ran with the others, following the horse tracks.

The sun had set by the time Saito had arrived at Yorii's west bridge. There was a battle taking place by now, but it was at the east bridge and the Hachigata ruins; the rebels had no prior knowledge of the west bridge.

Saito could hear the guns in the distance and smell the smoke. A firefight had erupted between Imperial Forces guarding the west bridge and a rebel patrol. Saito ran across the bridge as fast as he could while gunfire blazed across the river. After Saito had crossed, the rest of the men on the south side of the Arakawa ran back across the bridge to Yorii.

"Is everyone across?" shouted an officer.

"Yes, sir!" was the reply of one of the sergeants.

"Right! Hirano! Blow the bridge!"

An engineer detonated explosives under the bridge and it collapsed into the Arakawa, denying them the crossing and freeing up men to defend the east bridge, now the only direct crossing to the town of Yorii.

* * *

Rebel soldiers opened fire from across the river with their older rifles, and the Imperial Soldiers returned fire. Some Imperial troops pushed the Gatling gun into position and started peppering the south bank of the river with the gun's rapid-fire.

Saito approached one of the officers.

"Where is Major Harada?" Saito asked.

"He's on the roof of the headquarters, overseeing the battle. Your lieutenant went there with his prisoner as well."

"Very good. Go on, now, you have a bridge to defend."

"Yes, sir!"

The battle did not rage on for very long. In just over an hour, the rebels had been repelled and routed from Yorii. The Imperial forces suffered minimal casualties, while a large portion of the rebel force had been killed or captured.

* * *

Colonel Saito joined Major Harada in his headquarters in the Yorii town office that night for dinner. They had a simple meal of beef and rice.

The Major spoke first as he finished his dish, "I ordered all captured rebel officers to be rounded up for questioning. We can start that in the morning. As for the rest of the prisoners, we've already taken the liberty to begin the executions."

"Massacring prisoners is not an easy order to carry out, and is of questionable morality," Colonel Saito told him, "I am glad you carry out the orders willingly and without hesitation."

"Treason and Rebellion are crimes punishable by death," Harada replied, "I am only carrying out the law; the will of the Emperor."

"Tell me, Major," Saito started, "Would you like to serve your Emperor and your country even further?"

"With all due respect, Colonel," Harada laughed, "I know what you're going to say. You're offering me a position in the Emperor's most secretive and elite force, to serve my country by giving up my name, my history, my existence to hunt down the Youkai until the end of my days. My answer is no."

"You won't have to serve until the end of your life, Major," Saito replied, "I've been given command of two Army regiments because I need them to destroy the last of the Youkai. That's right, the very last ones."

"I do believe in Youkai, Colonel," the Major added, "And I support your cause; I think Youkai are a menace. I've never seen one, but we've all heard stories. I'm sure if your organization manages to exist until now and even influence General Yamagata into giving you command of two regiments, your cause must be legitimate, but I must refuse this. My job is to smash this rebellion and occupy Chichibu as long as needed for you to finish your operation. I'm not going to join you, Colonel."

"Well, that's understandable," Saito said as he stood up, "If you'll excuse me, I'd best get some rest. The rebels showed us today that they mean business, even if that business is throwing themselves at our rifles and bayonets in suicidal charges. We'll need to advance south by midday tomorrow; I'm quite eager to crush this rebellion."

"Colonel, one more thing," Major Harada called.

"What is it?"

"Don't offer anything to my second lieutenant."

* * *

Colonel Saito smiled as he left the room. The town was much quieter now, devoid of the sounds of gunfire and shouting, but Saito could hear distant wailing of wounded soldiers in the triage centre and infirmary. He walked out to the town office's main conference room, where he found Lieutenant Hayato eating noodles while reading a book. On the table were maps of the Yatsugatake area. One of them was an ancient map from the Early Edo Period, mapping Gensokyo with the true Mount Yatsugatake at its centre.

"You've been busy," Saito commented, "Studying the old maps, and reading

"I want to keep myself busy, sir," Hayato replied, "Otherwise I'll see him in my head again."

"Who?"

"I'm thinking more about that sergeant that led us through the woods. I didn't even know his name."

"Good man," Saito recalled, "But you'll forget it eventually. Many men will die in front of your eyes, Hayato. Men will die all around you. That's the reality of war. The ones that will haunt you the most are the deaths of the men under your direct command; men who have served with you and followed you into battle for years, men whose names you've learned and taken to heart. It hurts; it always does, but you'll get used to it."

"That's what I'm afraid of, sir," Hayato expressed, putting down his book, "Getting used to it: death, killing, massacre, loss, victory, defeat; I don't want to get used to war. This is the last war of the Seisei-bumon. After this, we won't be needed anymore. I can go home, and I'll go home as a man shaped by war and death, that's for sure, but I don't want to come home as a man whose humanity was consumed by war."

"You're young and naïve, Hayato," Saito grunted, "I thought like that before. War will consume you, Hayato. You don't have to be an officer in this army for twenty years and fight on the frontlines of two wars like I did to lose your 'humanity'. I learned that after my first battle."

Hayato frowned as Saito sighed, "We'll need you in the months to come, Hayato. You keep reading those books and maps; we'll need the information. We'll make a Youkai-hunter out of you."

* * *

Saito returned to his quarters and fell on the bed. He fell asleep quickly, and found himself in a dream.

There was clashing of steel, blood, guts, swords and bayonets, smoke and rifle muzzles flashing. There was shouting everywhere. He could see soldiers… Imperial Army soldiers, in their dark blue uniforms and their caps, marching with sword bayonets fixed to their Snider rifles. He heard the order to advance, and he heard the thundering charge of the enemy coming down the hill. The soldiers were panicking as the enemy screamed and shouted, their battle cries disorienting and demoralizing, and their swords brandished and ready to kill. The gunfire did not stop their rapid charge. They came crashing into the lines…

And then he woke. Saito was sweating. 'It can't be,' he thought. Hayato was at the door, looking at him. The room had no window; he couldn't tell the time.

"Are you alright, Colonel?" Hayato asked him.

"What time is it?" Saito asked.

"6 AM. Most of the other men and officers are already awake."

"I was dreaming."

"A nightmare, without a doubt," Hayato observed. It was obvious by Saito's sweat and uncomfortable look.

"A nightmare I thought had abandoned me five years ago."

"What is it, Colonel?"

"Nothing, Lieutenant. It's none of your concern. Let's get some breakfast."

* * *

The morning dragged on as if there hadn't been an attack last night, save for the mass executions of prisoners and the questioning of rebel 'officers,' who gave up very little before they were executed. Whether this was loyalty to their cause or pure ignorance was beyond Colonel Saito.

Eventually they learned that the group that had attacked Yorii was designated as the "second battalion" of the Komminto, and was led by Kikuchi Kanbei and Iizuka Morizo, and their orders were to hold Onohara in the event of an attack. They learned that the battalion disobeyed orders and advanced north all the way to Yorii, where they were routed by Major Harada's 1st Battalion.

Saito was sceptical, since Onohara was quite a distance south from Yorii, but whether he was wrong or not did not matter, as news from the Army division south of Chichibu reached Yorii later that afternoon, as the officers of the Yorii garrison were convening in the conference room.

"Most of the rebel leaders are reported to have dispersed in panic to our presence. We have a combined force of Army troops, Metropolitan police, Hunters, ex-Samurai, and other locals already on the move to exploit the confusion among the rebel ranks," Harada read the telegraph.

"Colonel," Harada continued, "The south troops mean to move into the area today. They request us to mobilize to help them form a semicircle around Chichibu and push them to the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains where they will have no avenue of escape."

"That's the plan, Major. Get this garrison moving, and notify the commander of the Kodama garrison to mobilize his troops as well."

"Yes, colonel!"

Colonel Saito turned to the rest of the officers in the room.

"Yesterday we gave the rebels a taste of how rebellion is dealt with in Japan, and today their leaders have dispersed, leaving nothing but a mob of disgruntled silk farmers with bamboo spears and old guns. We will march upon them and show them the might of the Imperial Japanese Army!"

The officers cheered.

"Dismissed." The officers began leaving the room.

* * *

"Hayato," Saito called.

"Colonel?"

"We still have one more prisoner to question."

Saito and Hayato found the ex-Samurai that led the ambush on them in the woods. He was sitting on the dirt, his head bowed down, refusing to look at Saito.

"You should have killed me. You dishonour me with your cowardice."

"I'd rather have you information than your petty Samurai honour," Saito snapped, "Your rebellion is doomed. You'll be rewarded if you answer questions that will help me end it sooner."

"All the reward I ask is an honourable death."

"You'll get one, if that's what you want," Saito assured, "I think I'll start with my most important question: How do you get to the town of Mayoiga?"

The ex-Samurai tilted his head up at the sound of the word.

"Mayoiga?"

Saito read his reaction, "You know the town."

"You will never breach that town. There is only one road that leads to it, and the town dominates the pass. You will be cut down as you approach."

"If you are so confident, show me the way, so perhaps I can find out if what you say is true."

The ex-Samurai sighed and shook his head.

"I don't have to show you. The poor rebel peasants will show you the way. They will run from your guns, into the mountains. Please, have mercy on them. I've been there no two days ago. They are no warriors. They have women and children. You do not have to kill them all."

"I don't want Mayoiga, Samurai," Saito muttered, "but I need it so I can get to the place beyond Mayoiga."

"Gensokyo?!" the Samurai stammered.

"Yes. That's all I want, but you rebels turned Mayoiga into your stronghold, and now I have to raze the town, and kill everyone there too."

The Samurai was mumbling to himself and shaking his head more.

"Your information was… invaluable. Thank you," Saito told him as he turned around to walk away. Hayato followed him.

Saito stopped, "Oh," he said, remembering, "You wanted an honourable death?"

Saito called one of the guards to hand him a tanto, a Japanese dagger.

"Here," Saito declared to the ex-Samurai, "Do it."

He tossed the tanto to the ex-Samurai's feet, so he could commit seppuku, ritual suicide that involved cutting open one's bowels with the tanto. If a defeated Samurai had been a good servant, a good friend, or an honourable fighter, another may end his misery by beheading the man with a katana.

"Hayato, get our horses ready. I'll see this finished."

Hayato bowed in acknowledgement as Saito drew his katana.

Hayato left him to see the Imperial Army soldiers scrambling from their positions to the call of their officers. It was time to advance.

He walked for a few seconds, and then he heard the sound of steel biting into flesh, and then a cry of agonizing pain, that was ended abruptly by the singing of a katana slash.


	5. Oni Omo

Oni Omo

The lights were lit fairly dim in the council chamber, a large and spacious room, built in the caves deep inside the Youkai Mountain. The room was lit by Kappa lights, powered by electricity. Shin Kakusa, tall and lean, with his black hair, black wings, and dark eyes, entered the room first, wearing his black coat.

As he entered the large wooden double doors, the lights' brightness intensified. Shin was first to the assembly, as always. He liked to listen to the other members of the High Council chattering while waiting for session to begin. Shin always listened for any news or gossip. It was his duty to listen. And to whisper everything he deemed important to Tenma.

Shin didn't like his job. He loved it. He loved listening. He was the best listener in Youkai Mountain, perhaps the best in Gensokyo. He could recall entire speeches, and quote exact lines from them. He knew the names of all his subordinates, even before he met them. He could hear every conversation that took place in this council chamber, though he could not listen to them all at the same time; he could only focus on one conversation at a time.

Shin heard the sound of small footsteps coming from behind the doors opposite the ones he entered. The Kappa Directors have arrived. All three of them, at the same time, as well.

* * *

The doors slowly grinded open, and Shin observed the three Kappa Directors waddle in at the same time, side by side, while continuing their conversation about the usefulness of swords now that the humans had advanced their gun technology so much in the past century.

There were many Kappa clans in and around the Youkai Mountain, but they all answered to one of the three larger Kappa "districts:" the Mountain Kappa, the River Kappa, and the Marsh Kappa. Each district was represented on the council by a director. The directors are said to be the most brilliant minds of their districts. Shin knew that by "brilliant minds," the Kappa meant technical or scientific knowledge; the Kappa directors usually took a back seat in these council meetings.

The Mountain Kappa, Haiiro, was the tallest of the three, albeit only by a few centimetres, and evidently the eldest; he was a rather plump individual as well, and he was bald and grew a greenish beard on his chin. The River Kappa, Midori, was the only female of the three, and was, in contrast to the Mountain Kappa, lean and fit, and she had short, green hair that only barely overlapped her ears. The Marsh Kappa, Kuro, was the shortest, and the youngest, as far as Shin could tell. He had short black hair and a lean build.

After being voted, the director serves a term of ten years, and during this term, the director drops his or her surname and replaces it with the title of the district they serve: Haiiro-yama, Midori-kawa, and Kuro-sawa.

* * *

"Human guns outrange our own," complained the Marsh Kappa to the Mountain Kappa.

"Not to mention the fact that they also reload faster, and they much more capable of mass production," added the River Kappa.

"You forget," answered the Mountain Kappa, "We can use our guns underwater, our guns don't make so much smoke like theirs, and our guns aren't quite as loud."

That made the two younger Kappa nod in silence for a second, but the River Kappa opened her mouth just as quick.

"Useless features during the winter, when most of the waterways freeze up and the valley becomes so quiet you can hear almost anything from a mile away," she argued, "Face it, old man; with the rate humans are evolving their weapons, swords and spears will be phased out of their systems within fifty years."

"Exactly," the Marsh Kappa agreed, "We need to stop or reduce our production of swords and spears and start developing better guns."

"Why should we?" the Mountain Kappa puffed, "Do you two plan on going to war with the humans?!

Shin smiled and chuckled lightly.

"I doubt that, Haiiro-yama," Shin answered, "I believe your students are concerned about the opposite: what if the humans plan on going to war with us?"

"What are you trying to say, Tengu?" the Mountain Kappa sharply inquired.

Shin replied, "You'll learn all you need to know in this coming council meeting, my good friend."

* * *

As if on cue, the door behind Shin was swung open from the other side, revealing a tall, large, muscular, White Wolf Tengu, near six-and-a-half feet tall, and wearing his traditional uniform. On his back hung a Nagamaki (a Japanese sword with an extra-long handle), and a massive tower shield, taller than the monstrous Tengu himself.

Behind him entered another tall Tengu, who stood at around six feet tall, with unkempt, short, black hair and dark brown eyes. He was neither Crow nor Wolf, having no wings or wolf features. He wore a mildly ornate, yet still practical kimono, coloured black, with some white linings. His katana and his wakizashi were sheathed on his right hip. He walked into the council chamber with a sly smile on his face.

"Boss Tenma," Shin addressed with a bow. The three Kappa directors turned their attention to Tenma, who returned the bow to Shin.

Haiiro noticed Tenma's swords sheathed on his right.

"Are you left-handed now, Tenma?"

Tenma turned to face the Kappa, gave him a short, blank stare and then smiled.

"Perhaps I am," Tenma answered in a somewhat sarcastic sounding tone, "Or perhaps I just want to keep my enemies from guessing."

The Mountain Kappa grunted.

"Enemies?!" Haiiro coughed, "You've no enemies here, Tengu Boss."

"Everyone is a potential enemy," Tenma responded, "and a potential ally. It's all a matter of figuring out who's what."

The door behind Tenma and Shin closed, shut by a third Tengu, a female Crow Tengu, shorter than Tenma by a few inches, black hair tied in a ponytail, and brown eyes, wearing black boots, black trousers, and a short black coat, with a wakizashi and several daggers attached to her belt, as well as several daggers in scabbards attached to her trousers.

The large White Wolf Tengu positioned himself behind Tenma's right, and the Crow Tengu on Tenma's left, as the Boss Tengu sat down. Shin observed the two: Taiyo and Tsuki, they were called; Tenma's bodyguards. Shin wondered if Taiyo, the Wolf, and Tsuki, the Crow, were lovers, and if they were married. He wondered if Taiyo and Tsuki were even their real names, or just nicknames Tenma gave them. Shin knew almost everything outside of Tenma's dealings. Shin was excellent at uncovering secrets, but Tenma was even better at hiding them.

* * *

While the three Kappa continued their fruitless argument, Tenma turned to Shin.

"Shin," he called, "Sit."

Shin took a seat at Tenma's right side.

"Yes, boss?" Shin asked in a soft voice.

"What is the latest word from Chichibu?" Tenma questioned.

"The whispers I hear tell me that the Imperial Army has utterly crushed the Rebel forces in the opening engagements," Shin started, "and many of the leaders have already abandoned the struggle. Omiya has fallen to the Imperials, and Minano is the only town that is still resisting the Imperial advance."

"Not the only one," Tenma responded sullenly.

"Indeed," Shin continued, "A number of rebels are fleeing westward. Instead of preparing for a last stand at the foot of the mountains, they seem to be disappearing."

"Not disappearing," Tenma replied, "Fleeing elsewhere."

"Yes," Shin nodded, "Into Mayohiga."

"It's probably a stream of refugees pouring into the Mayohiga pass," Tenma added, "The Imperials will find the town; that is certain."

Shin turned his head down and exhaled.

"And then they might find us."

Tenma nodded again, and said, "Which is why this council meeting is so important, Shin. That Human Village will prove useful."

"I understand."

"Of course you do, Shin, otherwise you wouldn't be the head of the Information Corps. It's these other clueless council louts that need to be informed and convinced."

Tenma surveyed the council chamber and asked, "Shin, where is Commander Isamu?"

"He chose not to attend the council today, boss," Shin answered, "I informed him yesterday of the likely threat the humans caused, as you commanded. He's intensified the training and drilling of the Wolves since then. Isamu is likely overseeing their drills right now."

"Likely?" Tenma pointed out, "That's not a word I hear from you often."

"My apologies; the present progressive is not as definite as the present perfect, Boss Tenma. Right now, Commander Isamu could be drinking, bathing, having his way with a woman, or all three at the same time, for all I know."

"That's a fair answer, Shin, and a good jest. Isamu is quite the loose cannon."

Shin chuckled, "Ironically, that makes him the only cannon in our defence force."

* * *

Another minute passed in the council room, with the Kappa's scientific chattering on one side, and the Tengu's clever mischief on the other; the seats of the Oni, in the centre, were unoccupied. Finally, Shin felt the floor trembling and heard the loud footsteps behind the third door. Finally.

The door flew open, and right then and there, he was before them: Eight feet tall, very muscular, his skin the colour of regular flesh and with thick hair on his arms and legs. He wore trousers, and a robe that proudly displayed his hairy chest. He had two eyes, two horns that sprouted from the sides of his forehead, green braided shoulder-length hair, and a short beard to match.

Omo, the Oni King, and Lord of Youkai Mountain, he was. The three Kappa bowed their heads in respect of their lord. The Tengu did the same afterwards, though not as prudently as the Kappa.

Omo walked into the room, and he was followed by a female Oni, fair skinned and buxom, but still quite muscular. She wore a long skirt and a white shirt. Her hair was long, blonde, and free-flowing. On the centre her forehead was a single horn. Her face was rather comely for an Oni, but her expression was full of pride.

Tenma took a look at her and scowled. Omo noticed, and guffawed at Tenma.

"Still bitter, eh, Tenma?" the female Oni snorted, "That was five centuries ago; let it go already. Have a drink."

"I must refuse," Tenma replied, "I've learned my lesson when it comes to drinking with you, Yuugi."

Omo joined in the conversation, "Ahh, Tenma the Liar, it's been too long. I've begun to miss all your false truths and broken promises."

Omo took to calling Tenma, 'the liar,' Shin remembered. He viewed all Tengu as liars. He was right, in a sense, but he believed lies and deceit were cowards' tools, dishonourable and to be looked down upon.

* * *

Omo's right hand man, or woman, in this case, was Yuugi Hoshiguma. She did was not as large or muscular as other male Oni, but her strength was unnaturally superior to the rest. This was because she was one of the Devas of the Mountain, not Mount Yatsugatake, but Mount Ooe. Yuugi was one of the four subordinates of the great Oni lord of Mount Ooe, Shuten-doji. Of course, Shuten-doji is dead now, and Mount Ooe devoid of Oni. Where the other three Devas were, Shin did not know.

Shin both liked and loathed Omo. The man was intelligent enough, for an Oni, but Omo would never see the value of a good lie. That was why he loathed Omo. He liked Omo because he was a fool who believed in truth and honour so much that it was so easy to get information regarding him.

For Yuugi, Shin felt indifferent. He knew Tenma resented her, but that was a personal quarrel that Tenma brought upon himself. Shin had no quarrel or resentment toward Yuugi. In fact, he had a certain admiration for her straightforward and firm personality, while being still being a clever individual; clever on the Oni level, that is, which is to say, not very clever at all.

* * *

"Oni Omo, my lord," Tenma addressed, mockingly, though not quite enough for the Oni's wits to detect the insult, "It has indeed been quite some time since the last meeting. I look forward to sharing important information that I have gathered from these recent events."

"You look forward to sharing your lies, you mean," Omo laughed, then turned his gaze to Shin, "Shin Kakusa! You like listening to whispers and rumours; tell me, is it true what they say about Tenma?"

"What do 'they' say about Tenma, my lord?" Shin asked.

"Hahaha! They say he is really a woman! If it's true, he's the ugliest woman I've ever seen."

Tenma sighed, and answered, "The rumours are false, I'm afraid. The man in front of you is, in fact, a man. Though, it would be interesting if I could transform into a woman for a day. Oh, the things I could do!"

"If I may speak," Shin interrupted, "I believe it is best we stop this banter and start this council in earnest. There are threats to the mountain that we need to discuss."

"Banter?" Yuugi coughed, "I'd call it insolence, what your boss is doing. You are right, though, Shin. My lord Omo, we should start."

"Very well," the Oni king declared, "Tenma, it was you who asked the council to meet and talk about these 'threats.' You start."

"You all know what's happened on the grass flatlands east of the mountain," Tenma started.

"Yes, yes," Haiiro interrupted, "A Human Village appeared out of thin air; it's not the first time something like this has happened. You remember that western mansion that materialized near the Misty Lake? The one they're calling Soureiyashiki, the 'Poltergeist Mansion,' where one can hear music but no one playing?"

"I believe the circumstances are different this time," Kuro argued, "that mansion materialized here because it was transferred from somewhere else in the world. The village is a completely different matter; the mansion had no living beings with it. This is a living, thriving human village. More like the village was just hidden all this time."

"Hidden? For what purpose?" Haiiro questioned, "And by whom? The Gap Hag?"

"She does seem to be the prime suspect," Midori added, "Hiding a village is definitely something she would do. But why?"

"She's old and mischievous," Yuugi answered, "It could just be a trick of hers."

"Oh yes," Tenma replied sarcastically, "A village full of living, breathing, humans appears; it must be a prank by the Gap Hag! Such a shame, the nickname we gave her, though, for all her beauty."

"I think we call her that because she's old and grumpy," Kuro remarked.

"She's still a beauty," Tenma replied. "Anyway, Shin, do you think we can find her?"

"Find Yukari Yakumo?" Shin asked, "You know that's impossible, even for me. She naps during the summer and hibernates during the winter; nobody knows where she lives, except her Shikigami perhaps, but even she is difficult to find. And when we do find her, she will say that she knows nothing and her master had ordered not be awoken."

"Can't we make this Shikigami talk?" Midori asked.

"I wouldn't even try to make a Kitsune talk, Midori-kawa," Shin answered, "Much less an eight-tailed Kitsune. Yukari is so powerful that even her Shikigami is probably more powerful than any of us."

"Enough of this about the Gap Hag and her minions," The Oni King ordered, "If it's her doing, so be it. She's the one that hides Gensokyo, remember? What about the village?!"

Shin spoke up immediately, "It's normal, for a human village of this time, except that it probably has the ability to disappear and re-appear."

"I doubt Yukari is behind this," added Tenma, "Like you said, my lord, She hides Gensokyo from the outside world, no more, no less."

"You spoke of threats, Tenma," Yuugi called out, "What threat is this village to us?"

"None," Tenma smirked.

The Kappa and the Oni all shook their heads, believing for a second that this was just another prank by Tenma.

* * *

"None yet," Tenma added, much to the surprised of the council. "The real threat is beyond Gensokyo itself. Shin, please elaborate."

"Allow me to explain," Shin spoke, "I have heard the whispers from beyond the Mayohiga Pass. There is a peasant rebellion in progress on the other side of the mountains to the East. Unfortunately, this rebellion has failed, and the Imperial Army is pushing westward, toward the mountains, hunting down the fleeing rebels."

Yuugi was muttering something to the Oni King, while the three Kappa were whispering among themselves.

"So?" Haiiro laughed, "What does that have to do with our mountain? If you haven't forgotten, those mountains and this mountain are entirely different things."

"You've much knowledge, but little foresight, Kappa," Tenma snapped, "The rebels are fleeing toward Mayohiga, and the Imperial Army will follow."

Shins nodded and saw that the Oni and Kappa had stopped and were focused on the Tengu. Shin then continued, "The Gensokyo Veil stretches only to Mayohiga, after which, the illusion fades messily, making it obvious that a magical barrier had been passed. Should the Imperial Japanese Army discover that, they will find us, and destroy us."

"How are you so sure, Kakusa?" inquired the Oni King.

"How am I sure?" Shin repeated, "The Meiji government has been hunting Youkai since its creation sixteen years ago, and before that, the Tokugawa Shogunate had been doing likewise for nearly a hundred years. Or have you forgotten what has led us three, Oni, Tengu, and Kappa, to band together on this mountain? Desperation, my lord."

"He speaks true," Tenma added, "We are an endangered folk, not just us, but all Youkai. Gensokyo is our last refuge, and if Japan's government finds it, we are doomed."

There was silence in the council chamber, Shin noted. Tenma eyed Omo as if he were expecting the Oni King to make a proud boast about how they would defeat them in battle as many times need be, but there was none. They were all clever enough to understand: Tenma was not a liar this time.

* * *

"Can we fight?" Kuro asked.

"We can," Tenma replied, "but we will lose, eventually."

"The 'proud' Tengu," Yuugi declared, "He has no faith in the strength of the Youkai!"

"I have faith in the strength of Youkai, she-Oni," Tenma replied, "Faith in the strength we had a thousand years ago, five hundred years ago, and two hundred years ago even. Now, we are too few, and our powers are fading, slowly, but they are, make no mistake."

"What makes you say this, Tengu?" Midori asked.

"My wolves are losing the ability of flight, my crows cannot fly as fast as they could, and our wind magic is weakening," Tenma admitted, "Oni, when was the last time you lay down on a cloud, or shape-shifted, or flew?"

Yuugi's answer was silence. The Kappa looked at each other.

"I can only assume our physical abilities are waning as well," Tenma added, "Not just our magic powers."

"That means human bullets and cannons will hurt more," Shin remarked, "they will damage you more, and they will kill more. That and the fact that their weapons outrange ours, and their superior numbers, as our Kappa friends had argued earlier."

"We can still fight!" the Oni King declared, "Once we close the distance with them, they will be massacred at sword range. Death will be all around them once our charge connects with their armies. They will run to their mothers."

"Yes, and several thousand more will return," Tenma rebuked, "and you plan to charge their formations as well? To close the distance means charging into their guns; charging into their guns means countless Youkai dead. It's folly."

"What would you do, then, Tenma?" The King asked.

"Hide."

* * *

The two Oni burst into laughter, and the Kappa sneered in disappointment.

"Allow me to explain," Tenma then added, "That human village is the key."

"You're a coward, Tenma," Yuugi roared.

"Coward, is it? Survivalist is a better term. Look around you, Oni. I am the last of the Tengu Bosses, because I know which fights to fight, and which to run from. I think like a Tengu all the time. The other Tengu bosses destroyed each other and allowed themselves to be destroyed because they forgot who they were when a superior opponent threatened them. They chose to die, wastefully. I remembered what I was. I led the last of the Tengu here so that we can survive and prosper again. I will not have all we have worked for go to waste."

Shin knew Tenma's story. They all did, but they usually came to forget. Tenma was a Tengu through and through, and for thousands of years, he's led his Tengu clan, out-living all the other Tengu Bosses, until eventually, he dropped the name of his clan and just called them "Tengu," because they were the last of their kind, because he was not afraid to fight a war unconventionally. Tengu were mischievous tricksters, yes, but most Tengu clans were very conventional in war. He fought his wars the same way he sowed discord and mischief, and for that he relied heavily on his Information Corps. On Shin.

* * *

"Go on, then," Haiiro insisted, "You mentioned the village?"

"Yes," Tenma nodded. "The humans of the village fear the Youkai; that we know. That probably means they hate us in general, but as far as that goes, it's because of feral man-eating Youkai that attack and raid them."

"Doubtless this is most likely the reason why it was hidden," Shin added, "They have had no contact with the Youkai of the Mountain yet."

"Let me guess," Kuro spoke up, "You want to form an alliance with the human village, convincing them that we of Youkai Mountain are not man-eating Youkai that they are used to, but civilized folk, interested in mutual trade and friendship, to make them see us as allies, to be treasured and protected, so that when the Imperials stumble into this valley, the human village, which is in close proximity to the Mayohiga road, they will deny existence of the Youkai in this area, or at least in Youkai Mountain, deceiving the Imperial Forces and hopefully convincing them to leave."

"You are a clever one, Marsh Director." Shin complimented.

"Thank you, but I already anticipated such an opportunity," the Marsh Kappa explained, "Humans are good for business and trade, and I've already begun preparations to begin a business venture there."

"Excellent," Tenma stated, "I hope you get your friendliest Kappa for this assignment. And by friendliest, I also mean friendliest-looking."

"Oh yes," Kuro added, "They'll be led by Nitori Kawashiro. She's a cute one; a little shy, perhaps, but very friendly."

"We'll need King Omo's permission, of course," Shin reminded them.

Omo nodded, and then declared, "I approve of Kuro's venture, and the Tengu's notion of forming an alliance with the village."

"And the Imperial Army?" Tenma asked.

"Not yet. I need to know more, Tenma."

Tenma nodded, and turned to Kuro, "Marsh Director, when can this venture be ready?"

"By the end of the month; there are many preparations—"

"Not good enough. We'll need to sneak a few Crows into the village today, Shin."

"Very good, sir," Shin replied, "Three Crows, their leader Aya Shameimaru, wings hidden and appropriately disguised in human clothing, will approach the village from the Mayohiga road, and enter, under the guise of refugees. They will learn all they can, and return tomorrow."

Tenma nodded.

"You've planned all this already, I see," the Oni King approved. "When can they set out?"

Shin smirked,

"Why, they should be at the village right now."


	6. The Human Village

The Human Village

The three Tengu were walking on the snow-covered Mayohiga road, one male and two females, dressed as common farmers. Aya led the other two, who were walking side-by-side behind her.

They flew high around the village, behind the mountains, and landed somewhere in the forested area adjacent to the road at the entrance of the valley. After landing, they hid their wings and, in the now, quickly changed into their disguises. Aya wore black boots, brown trousers, and a dark brown coat over a white shirt. The female Crow behind her wore a farmer's outfit: brown pants, and a brown winter coat over a white shirt, and a triangular straw hat covering her head. The male wore a simple dark kimono under a winter coat.

* * *

Aya sighed. Shin Kakusa had assigned her to an intelligence-gathering operation several days ago. Shin deduced that Aya had the most knowledge of the village among all the Crows, considering she wrote an article about its appearance, so Shin asked Aya to capitalize on her success and learn more.

The operation was so hastily organized that she didn't even get to choose her companions. Shin only assigned the two to Aya this morning. It was only when they caught sight of the village that Aya remembered that she didn't even know the names of the two Tengu behind her.

"Wait," Aya ordered as she stopped walking, "Names?"

The female removed her straw hat to show her face, tied dark-brown hair, and brown eyes.

"My name's Hatate Himekaidou."

The male raised his head and mumbled, "Yuji."

"Right," Aya declared, "Hatate and Yuji. I'm Aya; Good to meet you, now let's organize everything proper before we go in there. "

"If anyone asks," she continued, "we're siblings. I'm Yukari, and I'm the eldest. Yuji, you'll be the second. Your name will be Ran. Hatate will be the little sister; Hatate, your name is Chen."

"Chen?!" Hatate coughed.

"Yes: Chen. I heard that Ran, Yukari Yakumo's Shikigami, keeps a Shikigami called Chen."

"A Shikigami with a Shikigami?" Yuji asked, "You really think she's that powerful, Aya?"

"First of all, it's Yukari," Aya corrected, "and second, yes, she is."

"What if someone who asks us our names knows the Yakumo 'family'?" Hatate asked.

"Say that we aren't sure whether it's pure coincidence or if our parents named us after them, because we don't know who our parents are. We were raised by an uncle who owned a farm in Chichibu. We're fleeing the rebellion. We were—"

"I think that's a deep enough story, Aya," Yuji interrupted, "If we're lucky, they'll just let us through. It's not like they're going to ask our life story just to let us in."

"Alright, alright," Aya shrugged, "Come on, let's go."

* * *

The three continued trudging on the road, which had not been shoveled for a fair while; the snow was thicker beyond the road, where no shoveling had been done at all. They walked past the area where the rice paddies would be if it weren't winter. The village was protected by a five feet high dirt wall that only went around half of the village's perimeter; the other half was encircled by a six foot high wooden palisade. The Tengu could see the snow covered roofs from the outside.

Aya flew around the village several times before, and managed to count the number of entrances: Two small wooden gates along the palisade, and the two large gaps on opposite ends of the village, between where the palisade ended and the dirt wall started. These were the main entrances, as the gates could only fit one person at a time; the open gaps on the walls could fit a carriage or two.

The gaps were also the most heavily guarded. Aya noted six men watching the gap: four riflemen and two swordsmen, all dressed in winter coats.

"You deal with them," ordered an older rifleman to a young guard that spotted. The leader then took the four other men and began a patrol around the village. Excellent, Aya thought.

* * *

"Chen," Aya called, addressing Hatate, "You're pretty; how well can you seduce a man?"

"What?!" she exclaimed, "No way! I… to be honest… I can do that pretty well."

"Good. If it comes to it, I'll mention 'my sister.' Oh, and act as innocent as possible. He'll suspect us even more if I mention you and you suddenly act like a slut."

"Oh," Hatate replied, looking at the guard, "He's fairly handsome and innocent-looking; this should be easy."

The three Tengu approached the entrance to the village and were stopped the young rifleman. Aya kept her cool. They won't suspect a thing, she thought.

"I've never seen you three here before," the guard called, "State your business."

"We're from Chichibu, fleeing the war," Aya told the guard, "It's too cold up in Mayohiga; we were thinking of staying here for a few nights."

"This valley isn't a place I'd choose to spend a night," the guard laughed, "Not with all the Youkai around here. Anyone with sense would endure the cold than risk being taken by Youkai. Are you sure you want to spend a night here?"

"Yes," Aya answered.

"I'm sorry," the guard sighed, "I don't think you know what you're getting into here; Keine wouldn't approve of us letting more Youkai food in. The village is already a feast on a silver platter and we don't want more refugees; they just make platter look tastier, she says."

"My little sister is freezing up there," Aya told him, "Will you deny her just one or two warm nights?"

The guard looked at Hatate as she removed her straw hat, feigning an innocent, yet seductive smile as she pretended to shiver from the cold. The guard stared at her.

"She's an innocent, young girl," Yuji said, "Are you going to let her freeze?"

"P-please," Hatate begged to the guard, as she walked towards him and held his hand. She smiled again.

The guard blushed and smiled, "Oh, alright. Go on in."

Aya and Yuji walked past the guard, while Hatate was still holding the guard's hand.

"You're cute," Hatate said to him, smiling, as she let go and started walking. She stopped a second later and turned to the guard again.

"Hold on," Hatate called, "What is this village called?"

"The Human Village," he answered.

"Really?" Hatate asked.

"Yes, really."

"Well, alright. See you later!" Hatate winked to the guard before running back to Aya and Yuji.

* * *

The other two Tengu were standing in the middle of the village square, observing the townsfolk and the town. Kids were shoveling the snow or running around throwing snow at each other, old women were gossiping by one of the houses, and different men and women, merchants and other dealers, were selling their wares all about the place.

"I can't believe you made me do that," Hatate fumed as she walked to Aya.

"Why are you so angry?" Aya asked, "You seemed to be enjoying it."

"It was acting," Hatate replied, "Though he was fairly good looking. Besides, you could've done it yourself; you were already in front of him."

"I could've done it myself, yes," Aya repeated, "But I am in charge here, and I decided otherwise."

"Well," Hatate said, "I did more than just flirt with him you know."

Yuji and Aya burst into laughter.

"You went that far?" Aya giggled, "I'm starting to wonder if I'm still the fastest in Gensokyo!"

Hatate blushed. "That's not what I meant!" she snapped. "I asked him for the name of the village!"

"Really? What is it then?" asked Aya.

"The Human Village."

"They call this human village, 'The Human Village?' Really?" Yuji asked Hatate.

"They aren't known for their imagination, Yu— I mean… Ran," replied Hatate, "And it's not like there are any other human villages around here…"

"Are you sure that's the name, though?" asked Aya.

"The guard seemed to think so," Hatate confirmed, "I asked him twice."

"Alright," Aya declared, "Let's stop wasting time. We'll split up. Ran will go to the tavern. Chen, you'll come with me around the market."

"What do I do in the tavern?" Yuji asked.

"What do people usually do at taverns?" Aya snapped, "Drink! And listen to gossip! That's the best way to get information without asking."

"Right," Yuji said.

"We'll find you when we're done," Aya assured.

* * *

Aya and Hatate went around the town square as Yuji went off to find the village's tavern. The two bought some food and a pair of slippers along the way to make it at least look like the two were shopping.

Aya had hoped they'd be able to enjoy themselves with a bit of shopping while asking around the market area, but the place was dreary and smelly. There were few shoppers at this hour, and several of the shops were closed. It was winter and most of the residents chose to keep most of the clothing and food they'd manufactured for themselves.

'The Human Village,' Aya had finally confirmed by asking several shopkeepers, was self reliant, except for regular trade with the village of Mayoiga, located in the Mayoiga mountain pass. The two villages traded and exchanged supplies often, but this winter was different. Mayoiga had ceased its trade recently, Aya had discovered, because Mayoiga was supporting a revolution in the outside world, and the village was preparing itself for a siege.

If the Imperial Forces were to discover Gensokyo by going to Mayoiga, it could spell the end of the Youkai Mountain. But she was sure Shin Kakusa already knew that. She was here to learn about this village. She won't stray from her mission.

* * *

Aya and Hatate were walking alongside each other, carrying their bags. They were about to leave the markets when they heard a woman's voice calling out.

"Excuse me!" the voice shouted. It was a young woman, Aya assumed, in her 20s, most like.

"Excuse me, ladies!" the voice called again.

The two Tengu turned their heads to see who was calling. The young woman calling to them had long, silver hair with blue highlights, strange for a human, Aya thought, if the woman even was a human.

Aya and Hatate stopped and turned around wait for the woman to catch up with them. Had they been found out? They wouldn't be able to prove it, though, the way they're disguised and with the background stories they had fabricated.

The woman caught up to them. She wore a winter boots, a blue dress under a brown winter coat, and carried a strange piece of headwear on her left hand that looked like some sort of eastern building with a red ribbon on the top.

"Apologies," the woman began, "I couldn't help but notice you two have been asking questions about the village."

"Yes," Aya replied, "We came down from Mayohiga to escape the cold. We're curious about the village."

"Escape the cold?" the woman replied, "I see. Well, if you're curious, there's no one better to ask but me; I work with the village administrator and I know the entire history of this village and I am quite knowledgeable in the other aspects of it as well."

"That sounds great," Hatate answered, "Where can we talk?"

"Let's head to the village's administration building," the woman replied, "I'll lead the way. Follow me; it's just on the other side of the town square."

Aya and Hatate followed the woman back across the square. Aya seemed skeptical, but it would seem suspicious if she denied the help of a kind stranger who offered them information on the village. Looking back to when the woman was calling them, it seemed the other residents had a positive outlook on this person.

"Why is this place called 'The Human Village,'" Hatate asked, "It doesn't seem like a very creative name."

"You see," the woman replied, "Look around. This is a village with humans in it. It's the only village of its kind in Gensokyo."

Aya sighed, then asked, "But couldn't they at least give it a less generic name? I mean, they named Mayohiga."

"We don't have time to think of a name," the woman answered, "We have more pressing matters, like protecting the village from Youkai. And it's Mayoiga. Mayohiga is the archaic pronunciation."

* * *

The trio reached the administration building, a two-story office-type structure, where two guards stood watch at the front entrance. Aya was convinced that this was indeed the administration building, and not some death trap; she observed several workers writing and doing other forms of paperwork, a farmer complaining to an official, and a few guards. If they wanted to kill the Tengu, they wouldn't do it here.

The woman took them into what seemed to be an empty office room, save for a bookshelf and a few chairs. When the woman beckoned the two Tengu inside, Aya and Hatate followed, where they were greeted by several armed guardsmen, pointing their rifles at the two Tengu.

The woman closed the door behind them.

"What are you doing?!" Aya fumed at the woman, "Who are you?!"

"Keine Kamishirasawa, protector and administrator of the Human Village."

Keine smirked when she saw the looks on the two Tengu's faces. "And what about you two?"

"My name is Yukari," Aya mumbled, "and this is my sister, Chen."

Keine burst into laughter.

"Yes," Keine replied, "And your companion in the tavern is your brother, and his name is Ran."

Hatate gasped, "How did you-"

"There's a reason I am the protector of this village, Tengu. It's because I know things, and I know people. People like Yukari Yakumo, Ran Yakumo, and their 'cat,' Chen."

"We're not Tengu," Aya snapped, "How dare you make baseless accusations to innocent-"

"How dare I protect my village?" Keine interrupted, "Baseless accusations? Innocent? Innocent spies? Shin Kakusa is a clever crow, but as protector of the village, it is my duty to spot the differences, the quirks, the features that separate human from Youkai."

"Aya Shameimaru," Aya addressed herself, "and this is Hatate Himekaidou. Our companion is called Yuji."

"See," Keine pointed out, "That wasn't so hard." Keine gestured to guards and they exited the room.

"Behave," Keine commanded, "And Shin will get all the information he needs, and his spies back alive."

"Now," she continued, "What did you want to know?"


End file.
